AHOIC
by Addicted to Dreams
Summary: Astray House of Insignificant Children, also known as AHOIC, is taking the world by storm. Not even Watanuki can resist the temptation of playing this virtual game, but with his body disappearing in reality his consciousness may be stuck inside the game.


**Author's Note- **This is more of an introduction then anything else. This chapter is slow but I promise it'll pick up in later chapters!

**Disclaimer-** I do not own xxxHolic.

Every Odyssey Has A Beginning 

Watanuki dragged himself into the sanctuary that was Yuko's shop. Thanks to the wards all those nasty spirits were repelled away. This is what he got for not walking home with Doumeki but that guy was impossible, and it was embarrassing waiting for the archer to finish kyudo practice with all the other archer's girlfriends. He refused to be humiliated today and braved the walk home which ended in more of a sprint then anything else. Now that he was there he wasn't looking forward to working. Yuko probably had some tedious tasks piled up for him and a whole menu of what she wanted to eat. What's new? Watanuki slid the door back and stepped inside the shop. "I'm here."

Maru and Moro came bouncing into the room and clapped their hands together, "Watanuki's here, Watanuki's here!"

"Good afternoon," Watanuki took off his shoes and set them aside so no one would trip on them. "Where's Yuko?"

"She's not here!" Moro's blue hair shook as she shook her head back and forth.

"She's not here," Maru agreed, her pink hair bobbing up and down. "The mistress is out!"

"The mistress is out!" Moro mimicked.

"Oh," Watanuki paused. "Did she say where she was going?"

"Nope."

"Nope."

"Did she take the fur ball with her?" Watanuki relocated himself to the kitchen where he put on his apron and tied the bandana around his head so his hair wouldn't get in his face while he worked.

"Mokona is gone to!" The two spoke in unison.

Watanuki knew Yuko would be hungry when she got home and opened the fridge to see what they had. There was a yellow sticky note attached to the inside of the door and he pulled it out. It was a fairly detailed list of what Yuko wanted for diner, and of course sake was on the list. His employer was such a drunkard it was no wonder she didn't keel over from alcohol poisoning. He got to work immediately, pulling out pans from the cupboards, and gathering ingredients from the fridge. Tonight's diner was going to be a Sukiyaki dish. Watanuki lined up the cabbage and shungiku and began washing them under the sink's faucet. Once they were clean he began slicing them into thin strips. When he was done with that he brought out the beef slab and began the process of preparing it to cook. As he worked he hummed a catchy tune that he heard Himawari-chan singing at lunch a couple of days ago. He had forgotten to ask her where it came from because that damn Doumeki had chosen that moment to request the next day's bento.

"The mistress is home, the mistress is home!" The echoes of Maru and Moro rang through the halls. Well the peace and quiet was short lived.

Yuko walked into the room with a flourish and grace that only she carried when sober. "Watanuki!"

"Where have you been?" Watanuki asked suspiciously. "Where you out on a job?"

"No," Yuko leaned against the doorframe and dramatically placed the back of her hand on her forehead. "I've gone all day without eating, waited in a line forever, and even then I barely managed to get out alive with _it_."

"It?" Watanuki couldn't help it, he was curious as to what Yuko was referring to.

"This!" Yuko pulled out a small box from the bag she had carried into the kitchen.

"Okay, you got me." Watanuki walked closer to get a better look. "What is it?"

"Watanuki doesn't know?" Mokona popped his head from out of the bag and jumped onto Yuko's shoulder. "It's only the most hottest new virtual reality game, it just came out in the stores today. Mokona and Yuko waited in line all day so we could get it!"

"Oh." Watanuki didn't really know what to say. "I never took you for someone who would be into that kind of thing."

"Well I drabble in all sorts of things," Yuka gave her trademark smile that when she wore it was easily recognized that she was up to no good. "Besides this isn't for me, it's for you!"

"Me?" Watanuki held out his had to receive the game but then hesitated. "What's the price?"

"Nothing," Yuko placed the box into Watanuki's out stretched palms. "It'll only cost you a weeks worth of service."

"That isn't nothing! Yuko I didn't want this game!" Watanuki followed the woman outside. "Yuko!"

"Now, now, Watanuki." Yuko stopped the teen before his complaints grew to be a full on rant. "What's done is done. You need to accept this as part of Hitsuzen."

"How is this relevant to Hitsuzen?" Watanuki stared down Yuko but she only gave him a playful smile in return.

"How about some sake?"

"Not until you tell me why you bought this stupid game!" Watanuki hadn't even looked at the box's cover so he had no idea what the game was even about.

Yuko became serious as she fixed Watanuki in her gaze, "Watanuki, a future client of mine will be needing your assistance inside the game."

"So this is part of a job?" He knew there had been a reason behind all this. "Why don't you play the game instead of me?"

"Because Watanuki, where would be the fun in that?" Yuko clapped her hands together. "Now bring me my sake!"

"Yummy sake!" Mokona cheered along with the Time Space Witch. Watanuki grumbled as he walked back into the kitchen, setting the game on the table to look at later.

---

"Himawari-chan!" Watanuki was already sitting under the trees with his three bento boxes. He waved wildly as the girl sat down.

"Good afternoon!" She smiled at Watanuki and pushed her brown hair over her shoulder.

"You look lovely as always!" Watanuki gushed, handing the girl her bento.

"Thank you," Himawari opened up her bento. "Oh it smells delicious!"

"Only the best for my Himawari-chan!" Watanuki was seeing stars so he failed to noticed Doumeki join them.

"Oi." Doumeki grabbed his bento. "Where were you yesterday?"

"Doumeki…" Watanuki glowered at the stoic teen. "Do you always have to ruin my time with Himawari-chan?"

Doumeki was stuffing a dragon roll in his mouth when he said, "You didn't answer my question."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, that's disgusting! You need to use manners in the presence of a lady." Watanuki snapped. "I didn't wait for you because it's embarrassing! Besides I didn't want to wait around, I had things to do."

Doumeki removed his finger from his ear. "You shouldn't walk home alone."

"I managed to survive just fine without you before! It's not like I have to worry about anything besides the spirits and I'm good at outrunning them." Watanuki was jabbing his chopsticks in Doumeki's direction. "Besides if I need someone to walk with I would much prefer the company of my lovely Himawari-chan!"

"Sorry Watanuki," The girl frowned. "I plans after school today."

"You do?" The Seer looked disappointed.

"Yeah, me and a couple of friends are going to be playing AHOIC."

"A hoe ik?" Watanuki blinked. "What is that? I've been hearing people talk about that name all day."

"Well it's this new virtual reality game. AHOIC stands for Astray House of Insignificant Children, which is the game's name. It came out yesterday. I started playing it but I didn't get very far. It's so life like you forget you're playing a game."

"No way," Watanuki remembered the game Yuko gave him the other day. Could it be the same one?

"Yup." Himawari smiled. "You should buy the game so we can play together."

"I think I already have it." Watanuki beamed.

"Really?" The girl's smile grew. "That's wonderful."

A couple of girls from their class called Himawari and she looked over her shoulder. "Oh I forgot, I have something I need to do."

"It's okay Himawari-chan!" Watanuki waved goodbye to her as she walked off. Ah there goes the most beautiful thing in the world, he sighed. Tonight he would try out the game so he could play with Himawari-chan. Maybe Yuko's gift wasn't so bad after all.

"Oi."

"What Doumeki?" Watanuki glared.

"Wait for me today." Doumeki stuffed his fingers into his ears as Watanuki began yelling at the top of his lungs. The other teen was so busy raving at him that it went unsaid that he also had AHOIC.

_To be continued… _


End file.
